


Clover

by entanglednow



Category: Tin Man (2007)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-03-18
Updated: 2008-03-18
Packaged: 2017-10-21 20:49:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/229710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/entanglednow/pseuds/entanglednow





	Clover

It's a warm enough night and all things considered the soft clover-covered ground between the roots of a tree isn't a bad place to sleep. Or it wouldn't have been, if Cain was given the opportunity.

"Harmonius, which is a red giant, or at least I'm fairly sure it is," Glitch tells him. His fingers waft across the star-strewn sky in front of Cain's face. "There's a rhyme that goes with it, I'm pretty sure I can remember at least half of it-"

"It's the night sky," Cain tells him. "It'll still be there tomorrow."

"But it won't be the same," Glitch protests. "It won't ever be the same."

Cain almost points out that the same or different won't make much difference, since Glitch won't remember it anyway. But he bites back the words, finds some that aren't quite so sharp.

"It'll be the same enough as makes almost no difference," Cain says tightly

Glitch huffs quietly, as though this distinction is clearly a gross simplification. That he will correct as soon as he can remember the more complicated parts. Cain isn't sure if he should be worried, or amused that he's apparently learned to distinguish between Glitch's many random noises.

Glitch hasn't bothered to roll up his coat and use it as a pillow so he's getting leaves and bits of twig tangled in his hair, he'll probably shed them all on the way home tomorrow.

"Remember a few stars and where and when they should be in the sky and you can find your way pretty much anywhere." Glitch's fingers slip into his line of vision. Pointing, waving, quick fluid gestures that seem utterly random nonetheless. Cain wonders if he should remind Glitch of the fact that he is almost always lost, and therefore maybe isn't the best person to provide navigational information.

"Oh and that one there -"

Cain snatches Glitch's fingers out of the air and traps them against the floor.

"Enough!"

"I was trying to point out a few important stars," Glitch tells him. "You know you're very grumpy when you're tired."

"You've already told me about the stars." Cain tells him.

"I have?" Glitch manages to be half surprised and half disappointed.

"Yes, it was fascinating," Cain growls. "But not exactly something I want to listen through twice."

Three times actually.

"Oh." The word's quiet, and when Cain shifts his head sideways Glitch is wearing a complicated frown. Not so long ago Cain had thought that silence would break him.

Glitch's fingers fidget against his own briefly, and then go still.

There was a time, not so long ago when Cain would have given anything to hear someone else's voice, just a ramble of noise in the background. Just someone else within touching distance.

He inhales cold night air,

"Tell me again," he says simply.

Glitch offers a crooked little half-smile.


End file.
